My horse fell down in the trailer today :(

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kajabe

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Well, I took my 28 year old mare to a show today, and to get out of the yard, we have to go down a steep-ish hill. On the way down, I heard a thud, so we pulled over and opened the jockey door, and sure enough she was lay on the floor - legs all over the place and she'd got her head resting on the breast plate. I was petrified, I thought she had broken at least one leg, and in the position she was in, I didnt think she would make it up as she was in such an awkward position. But with a little bit of coaxing, she managed to stand up and shook herself off and then carried on munching on her hay! I checked her legs and they were all fine, so after some friends (had horses for about 25 yrs) came to check her over and said she would be fine to carry on, we carried onto the show as normal. She was really sweaty but thankfully we got there about an hour early and the show was late starting anyway so we could clean her back up. On the way home, I noticed she was rocking about and not locking her legs. We bought her from somewhere about 4 hours away so she has traveled for long distances before and the show was no more then 1/2 hour away from yard. I am not sure why she wasn't locking her legs as usual because she was all over the place! She was wobbling so badly we could feel it in the car (we have a big sturdy Rice trailer and it was pulled by a RangeRover).

Could it be an age thing or something more serious?

I am planning on showing her more over the summer as she did so well today (it was mine and her 1st show), but if she keeps on not locking her legs, I dont think it would be safe to travel her!?

Cake for anyone who gets down this far!! :p xx
 
I'm sorry you had such a nasty experience - and to be honest I think you got away with it very lightly. I hope you horse is ok.

However - no - I definitely would NOT try and travel her again until your vet has given her a thorough check up. I think that you have had a warning and not to take heed would be foolish. Sorry.
 
Poor mare :(.

I can only compare her to an oldie on our yard who is 30. He comes for winter and goes back to his field in summer. I have taken him back in the past and I drive ridiculously slow to give him as smooth a ride as possible. I certainly wouldn't like to travel him for 30 mins, he'd be exhausted.

I'm sure there are oldie owners on here who may advise but my gut instinct would be to give her a quiter life at that age.
 
Sounds like age may have caught up with her I am afraid.

It may be time to just use her as a happy hacker, which considering her age is no bad thing at all, and well done for keeping her so fit :)
 
Am sorry to hear about your oldie going down in the trailer, must have been frightening for you and her!

I do agree with the others above ^^ in that maybe she needs a quieter life, have retired all of mine from the show ring by the time they got to 25 & they only ever went out in the box after that to visit the vets etc, its just such a long day for them in going out otherwise - even local shows they are away from home for around 4 hours or more.

They do get tired and joints are not as strong as they once were. However, there is always a sprightly pensioner as someone will probably post about shortly, but this is the rarity among most.

If she were mine? I'd let her relax at home & stick to light regular work these days :)
 
Does sound like it'd be unfair to travel her in a trailer again to be honest. it could be age-related and she's not coping with the balance. If you do want to take her showing then i would maybe try travelling in a lorry, herringbone style if possible - horses tend to travel better in lorries than trailers in my experience. I had a pony who would fall in a trailer so we ended up buying a box and he travelled absolutely fine. My 26 yo pony still travels in a lorry with no problems at all. Some horses have this problem with trailers, it may not be due to her age at all. I would try her in a lorry and see how that goes.
 
I am surprised that you carried on and took her to the show! I would have taken her home. Our mare is not very stable in the trailer - only been on one trailer ride since we've owned her and that was to the vets. She was diagnosed with arthritis.
 
kajabe said:
Thanks, she may be old, but she certainly doesn't act it! She loves being lunged, loves jumping, and her favourite thing of all is going for a gallop on the fields near the yard!! :p
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She may not act it but she is old. Do you have an experienced owner on the yard whose opinion you trust? Maybe ask them what they think.

28 is a grand age. She should owe nothing at that age and surely doesn't deserve being dragged to shows when she can't travel safely :confused:?
I do hope she stays safe!
 
kajabe said:
Thanks, she may be old, but she certainly doesn't act it! She loves being lunged, loves jumping, and her favourite thing of all is going for a gallop on the fields near the yard!! :p
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Life at 28 ought to be about bimbling and enjoying the quieter things in life!
I bet my granny would love to run a 5k marathon but at 70 yrs old I doubt her GP would recommend it!

Nothing works as well as it did when you get to her age, and SHOULD she sustain an injury her recovery time will be far greater than a younger horse.

Today was a warning, one that really ought to be take onboard.
 
Its great that she can still be ridden but my guess is the vet was referring to nice gentle hacks ! also, if she has suggested keeping her in regular ridden work this would be an indicator that she is stiff or has issues that will worsen if not kept mobile.

Talk to vet before taking her in the trailer again (which I think you said you will already do) I personally would not risk it, travelling is stressful as is showing and it sounds like she is not used to travelling on a regular basis so to start at this age is asking alot.

Hopefully you will have many years left together to enjoy.
 
I am not necessarily in agreement with all the "the horse is too old" comments. It may well be she is and isn't up to this but all horses/ponies are different. My 14.2hh is 26 this year and I've had him 18 years. He really hasn't changed an awful lot in his behaviour and only Thus he went to the vets along with my sister's horse who has been having treatment for suspensory ligament injury, as pony had been on and off lame for a week or so and quite obviously lame too. Vets did all flexions, lunged him etc - pony NOT lame at all and vet was very impressed with his movement saying how he trotted a heck of a lot better than my sister's fit 12 yo (he has been signed off by the vet now so is sound!). ok, I do take things steadier with the pony but mainly because I don't have the time to ride him and he's not sensible enough to be loaned out really. He has however come to two shows to accompany my youngster and been entered in the veteran classes and we think we may try some morewith him more seriously this year as he loves going out in the wagon and is a saint to stand there happily munching food.

As said, they're all different. The falling in the trailer may be age related it may not. That'w why personally I'd test her in a wagon to be honest.
 
Just like people, all horses are different, and age is relative, and some 20yrs+ horses have less mileage on the clock than some 10 yr olds.

However, the fact that this horse fell, was extremely sweaty on arrival, and was wobbling everywhere on the return journey,would ring alarm bells for me.

It's a bit vague imho, for your vet to say your horse should be working X amount of times per week, without specifying what TYPE of work.

My suggestion would be to talk to your vet in depth, mention todays problems and get an opinion on exactly what sort of work your horse should be doing.
 
I agree with the others that she may not be up to travelling anymore.

My friend has an ex eventing pony he has travelled all over the country all his life he is now 26 and if you try and travel him he falls over. This has happened on more than one occasion so he is no longer travelled.
 
Suprised no one else has mentioned it but as well as checking the horse over check te car and trailer over.
Could she of had a rough ride due to tyre pressures being out or suspension? Give trailer and tow car a service before you take them out again just in case.
 
kajabe said:
we have had the vet out to her only a couple of weeks ago - she said that she needs to be in ridden work for between 1/2 hr and 1 hr, 3 or 4 times a week, so she is physically able. I will be getting the vet out soon to check her over
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I'm glad you are getting the vet out again, she will advise you.

I think people forget that when a horse or pony is travelling in a box or a trailer, it is not a relaxing ride as it is for us, sat on comfy seats that give us some support on corners and up and down hills. They are stood up all the way, not holding onto anything. They must have to strain every muscle when we stop and start and take corners and slowing and speeding up.
If your mare had been travelling all her life and has been in regular work up to now, then she may have been more able to withstand a short journey, especially if travelled slowly and carefully. But it sounds like you are just embarking on a new venture for her and perhaps at her time of life, it is just too much for her to cope with.
If the vet recommended half and hours riding, the travelling would add another half an hours exercise plus the return journey.
 
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